Your NAUA Board of Trustees met on February 12^th. Most of this meeting was devoted to the topics of planning for the 2025 Summit and Membership Support. Joyce Kinnear, Chairperson of the Summit Committee, enumerated the issues and challenges that we face in planning the 2025 Summit, both from a technology perspective and a travel perspective. To avoid the connection/bandwidth issues experienced by some online participants, a professional conference service will be engaged to ensure a high-quality online experience for the 2025 and all future Summits. In terms of travel, while all who participated last year in-person expressed strong support for a hybrid in-person and online Summit, serious concerns were expressed regarding cross-border travel arising from the current political situation in the US. In light of these as well as some other issues, the majority of the Board voted to conduct the 2025 Summit entirely online while also pursuing opportunities for in-person socially interactive events for members.

Member Services is a key function of NAUA. Rev. Todd Eklof spoke of his plans for member, fellowship and congregational support through an entity that he has tentatively called “the Church Store.” This will be operated by a committee that will include other ministers. The “store” would provide materials for services, such as music, readings, and other resources, as well as ministerial services such as pastoral care and visiting ministers. Other aspects of member, fellowship and congregational support will be provided by the Member Services Committee, chaired by Board Trustee Judi Durham.

The Member Services Committee, as well as some of the other committees formed by the Board during the January Board Retreat, are now seeking additional members. If you haven't already read the Volunteer Opportunities email sent late Monday (Feb. 24), please check it out and see where and how you might like to get more involved. A post with the email content can be found on our website.

This month's gathering takes place on the first Wednesday of the month, from 4:00 - 5:30 PM PST / 7:00 PM EST. The NAUA Conversation / Discussion CIRCLE has no limits on participation and is open to all NAUA members and friends. Join in creating a vibrant, supportive space for dialogue and reflection. The zoom link is: https://tinyurl.com/naua-circle

For questions or to register for reminders, email us at circles@naunitarians.org. The CIRCLE will be facilitated by a member of the NAUA Board of Trustees. We hope to see you there!

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If you are already a member of this group, look for an email with readings and discussion questions from CIRCLE host Mark Reimers a few days before the meeting.

If you are not currently a member but interested in joining, please send an email to circles@naunitarians.org to get added to the waiting list.

The NAUA Academy provides courses to members of the NAUA and others interested in Unitarianism, Unitarian Universalism and Liberal Religion. March's Academy session is a tour of religious expressions, statements, or symbols in the genre of popular film from "It's a Wonderful Life" to "The Matrix." "Religious" in this context means any scene or dialogue that makes sweeping statements about the nature of the world and what it means to be human within it. 

February Worship Service Recording:
"Nature’s Scripture: the Interfaith Promise of Science"

February's monthly worship service addressed an oft-neglected landscape of commonality between faiths: the natural world. At precisely the time when our religious and political divisions threaten the existence of life on Earth, science offers a sweeping interfaith vista filled with revelations and insights as spiritually meaningful as ancient scriptures. Read as “scripture,” science offers a common text for all the world’s faiths. Please click on the image above to view the service recording.

This is a follow-up workshop to the prior workshop on “Reflecting Our NAUA Values in Communications.” However, it is not necessary to have attended the prior workshop in order to obtain value from this one.

In this workshop we reflect on how we might explain or present our NAUA values when communicating with friends, neighbors and the general public. Why do we believe in the values of Freedom, Reason and Tolerance? How should we describe their meaning to others? Some of the suggested language may be used on our website or in future communications. 

Next, we’ll discuss communications within NAUA and how we can improve as an organization. How are you currently getting news about events and happenings within NAUA? What would you like to be informed about that you currently are not? How can we communicate better overall? The feedback participants provide will be helpful as we work to improve overall communications, including about our active and valuable committee work. 

If you are unable to attend the workshop but would still like to share feedback about internal or external communications, please send an email to naua-communications@googlegroups.com. 

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